Archive for the ‘Found’ Category
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garbo, trashed
Object: Garbo trash can, designed by Karim Rashid
Location: Queen Village sidewalk, trash day
Background: Rashid has said he’s “incredibly frustrated with the mass ugly things that surround us,” which explains why this incredibly prolific designer (who used to teach at Philly’s University of the Arts) designs … Read more
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crazy duck hairdryer
Object: vintage hairdryer
Location: Moon and Arrow, a seasonal pop-up boutique on Fabric Row selling jewelry and vintage
Background: Check out the ad for the Crazy Duck (from Salton) hairdryer in this Pittsburgh Press ad from October 1990. Crazy is not to be confused with the … Read more
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orange Tolix stool
Object: orange Tolix stool
Location: inside InFusion Coffee and Tea, Mt. Airy
Background: The Tolix was designed in 1934 by metalworker Xavier Pauchard for the deck of the S.S. Normandie ocean liner. (It’s interesting that Emeco’s aluminum chairs were also made for sea living—the Hanover, PA company … Read more
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maneki neko
Object: Maneki Neko cats
Location: window of a mani/pedi salon off of Head House Square
Background: The Maneki Neko cats have as many nicknames as this blog had potential titles. (I made a list of about forty.) The direct translation is “beckoning cat,” but it’s also called … Read more
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silly string
Object: Silly String, strewn on sidewalk, Jan. 1, 2012
Location: 3rd Street, between Christian and Queen
Background: Silly String was patented in 1972, the same year the United States banned the notorious Freons 11 and 12. Apparently Silly String’s inventors had to quickly change its formula once … Read more
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working in a coffee shop
Object/System: working in a coffee shop
Location: the preferred spot is Philly Java on 2nd and Christian
Background: Not sure where to start with this one — the invention of electricity? The first laptop, designed by Bill Moggridge? The birth of coffee shop culture in … Read more
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vintage Smurf figurines
Object: vintage Smurf figurines
Location: a toddler area downstairs at the Please Touch Museum
Background: The Smurfs began as “Schtroumpfs,” created by Belgian artist Pierre “Peyo” Culliford in 1958. According to Time magazine, his wife chose the color: ”They couldn’t be green — they would have vanished … Read more
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boom box
Object: boom box, blaring B101
Location: Queen and Passyunk, to accompany a flash Xmas tree sale
Background: These stills from the 1980 movie, Times Square, show the ubiquity of the boombox. Back then, they were an unapologetic piece of the everyday. Today we’re so used to sounds … Read more
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